Hidden receptacle ashtray



May 16, 1967 AR.' GLIDDr-:N 3,319,633

HIDDEN RECEPTACLE ASHTRAY Filed Sept. 28,' 1964 United States Patent O 3,319,633 HIDDEN RECEPTACLE ASHTRAY Arthur R. Glidden, 132 E. Edgar St., Seattle, Wash. 98102 Filed Sept. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 399,604 Claims. (Cl. LS1-235) This invention relates to an 'ashtray having in it a hidden receptacle for cigarette butts and ashes.

A principal object of this invention is to provide an ashtray which, after :a cigarette has been snuied, can be manipulated to deposit the butt easily in a receptacle of ample capacity in which cigarette butts wil-l be obscured from view.

i, A further object is to provide such'an ashtray which, despite its large capacity, is compact and whichwill support cigarettes securely.

An additional object is to provide such an ashtray from which cigarette butts can be dumped easily, which can be cleaned quickly and reassembled readily.

It is also an object to provide such an ashtray which is attnactive in appearance and decorative'.

In general these objects can be accomplished by `an ashtray including `a stepped Ibase having a -grooved upper level forming the lower part of a snuffer and a hollow lower level forming a receptacle, which base is covered substantially completely by a stepped cover having an upper portion forming the upper half of the snufrer and a lower portion forming a cover for the base ash receptacle and grooved cigarette rests. The cover also carries scavenging raker ngers tting in the grooves of the base forming part of the snuiier which lare moved by sliding of the cover to scour the base grooves and rake cigarette butts from them into the ash receptacle.

FIGURE 1 is a plan of the ashtray, FIGURE 2 is a transverse section through the ashtray on line 2 2 of FIGURE 1, FIGURE 3 is a transverse section through the Iashtray on line 3--3 of FIGURE l, and FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section through the ashtray on line 4-4 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 5 is a plan of the ashtray showing the cover in a position diierent from that shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 6 is la longitudinal section through the ashtray on line 6 6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a bottom plan of the ashtray on a reduced scale.

The ashtray ofthe present invention is composed of two principal components including a ibase component and a cover component. The 'base 1 has edge portions 2 which are transparent. To the inner sides of such edge portions are applied decorations 3 which are visible through the edge portions 2. Such decorations can be paper or fabric strips, decalcomanias or painted coatings. Preferably the base is made of plastic material, ibut it can be made of glass. Also the base preferably is of elongated shape, as shown in FIGURES l and 2, and it is more attractive if its end portions are curved, as shown in FIGURES l and 5.

The base includes an upright wall forming ra step 4 extending transversely of its length and dividing the same into an upper portion or level constituting the bottom portion S of a lsnuiiier to assist in extinguishing cigarette butts and a lower portion or level constituting an ash receptacle 6. The cover also preferably is stepped at a location corresponding lto the step 4 of the base so as to form a snuffer top portion 7 overlying the snuier bottom portion 5 of the base and a closure portion 8 overlying the ash receptacle 6. The cover portion both forms the top portion 7 of the snuter and includes raker means 9 movable by sliding the cover from the position shown in FIGURE l to the position shown in FIGURE 5 to rake cigarette butts from the snuler across the base step 4 into the ash receptacle 6.

The snui'rer includes a Iplurality of bores 10, shown best in FIGURES 2 and 3, into which cigarette but-ts can be poked through apertures 11 formed in the cover at the end of the top portion 7 of the snufier. The snuier bores can be formed by spaced parallel ribs extending upward from the base snufier bottom portion 5 perpendicular to step 4 or by ribs extending downward from the snuier top portion '7 or both. In the construction illustrated in the drawings, lower ribs 12 project upward from the snufier bottom portion 5 of the base complemental to ribs 13 projecting downward from the top portion 7 of the snutter into complemental abutting relationship, as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3. The raker means 9 are in the form of iingers projecting downward from the snuler top portion 7 of the cover into the `base grooves formed between the ribs 12.

It is preferred that the cover portion of the ,ashtray be stepped so that the closure portion 8 of the cover is substantially on the same level as the bottom portion 5 of the snuier formed by the base, as shown in FIGURE 4.-- From the closure portion 8, ribs 14 project upward preferably to approximately the Same level as the base ribs 12, as shown in FIGURE 4. The ribs 14 also extend perpendicular to the step 4 of the -base land are shown as being in alignment with the base ribs 12, respectively, when the cover is in place on the -base so as to form `between them grooves constituting cigarette rests which are in alignment with the respective snuifer bores 10.

When the cover is in the closed position shown in FIG- URES 1 and 4, a cigarette may be laid at will in .a groove rest until it has been smoked to form a butt. This butt can then be pushed to the left, as seen in FIGURES 1 and 4, through an access opening or aperture 11 into a snuier bore which will cause the cigarette lbutt to be extinguished. If the cover is then slid from the closed position shown in FIGURES l and 4 to the right, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, the raker fingers 9 will rake the cigarette butt or butts from the snuier bores 1G to the right across the step 4 so that they will drop into the ash receptacle `6, 'as indicated in FIGURE 6. The cover may then be slid again to the left from the position of FIGURES 5 and 6 into the position of FIGURES l and 4 so that the ash receptacle will lbe closed by the cover portion 8.

In order to guide the ashtray cover for such movement, it is preferred that the snuffer top portion -of the cover be provided with edge anges 15 and the closure portion of the cover be provided with edge ilanges 16 extending along opposite edges of the cover transversely of the step 4, which anges constitute 'slides received in guide grooves along opposite sides at both levels of the base. Movement of the cover relative to the base can be facilitated by providing an aperture 17 in the closure portion S of the cover which can be engaged by the iin-gers to grip the cover to eiect such movement. Also such laperture attords a passage for deposit of cigarette ashes through the cover into the ash receptacle 6 without going through the snuffer.

An ashtray of the construction described above is very convenient, safe and sanitary to use. It is not necessary to rub out the burning portion of a cigarette butt when smoking of the cigarette is completed, but such butt can simply be pushed into one of the snuier bores 10 in which it will be extinguished automatically. Despite this convenience it is not necessary later to dig the cigarette butt out of the bore, but instead such butt can be raked easily from the snuiter bore by the nger 9 at the closed end of such bore simply by sliding the cover into the position shown in FIGURES 5 an-d 6, as previously explained. Such clearing or scouring of the snuier bores does not clutter the exposed cigarette rest portion of the ashtray, but automatically deposits such cigarette butts in the ash receptacle, which will be covered by the closure portion 8 of the cover when it is slid back into the closed position of FIGURES 1 and 4 from the open position of FIGURES 5 and 6. The upper portion of the ashtray will thus be cleaned for further use.

VWhen it is desired to dump the ash receptacle, the cover can be slid to the right relative to the base beyond the positions shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 until the cover is withdrawn completely from the base, in which event the base can simply be inverted to dump the ash receptacle and it is freely open for cleaning.

The ashtray described above is attractive in ance and compact. It is designed as shown to appearhold at least five cigarette butts in its snuffer portion and atY least twice that many butts in the ash receptacle. 4While such an ashtray can be placed on any surface and its contents cannot be spilled from the snuifer or the ash receptacle it is accidentally knocked over, except for any small amount of ashes which might fall through the aperture 17, it is preferred, however, particularly if the ashtray is to be used in an automobile, to provide elongated magnet means 1S, preferably extending around the major portion of the base 1 of the ashtray, as shown in FIGURE 7, which will attach the ashtray lirmly to any magnetizable surface.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cigarette ashtray comprising a base having a' stepped top including, at opposite sides lof the step, an upper portion constituting the bottom portion of a snuifer and a lower portion constituting an ash receptacle, and a cover iittable on said base and including a portion overlying said upper base portion and constituting the to-p portion of the snutfer and having raker means movable over the snuffel' bottom portion for raking cigarette butts thereform into the ash receptacle by' manipulation of said cover and a closure portion adapted substantially to cover the ash receptacle lower portion of saidl base, said cover having an access opening therethrough for passage of cigarette butts therethrough to the snuier.-

2. The cigarette ashtray defined in claim` 1, in which the cover is stepped so that the snutifer top portion thereof overlying the snutfer bottom portion of the base is higher than the closure portion of theV cover and the access opening through the cover is provided in the step between the snuier top portion and the closure portion of the cover. p

y3. The cigarette ashtray defined in claim 2, in which the upper side of the closure portion of the cover has a cigarette rest groove in Vgeneral alignment with said access opening.

`4. A cigarette ashtray comprising a base including a receptacle at one side portion thereof4 and means for assisting in extinguishing cigarette butts at the opposite side portion thereof, an upright wall `in said base extending between said receptacle and said extinguishingassisting means and forming a step, and said base having elongated parallel grooves therein, a cover member having a closure portion for covering said receptacle and having edge portions slidably engageable in such grooves, said extinguishing-assisting means including substantially parallel ribs having their lengths extending transversely of said upright wall for forming cigarette-holding grooves therebetween each of a width to receive a cigarette, said cover member having means adapted to cover each of said grooves when said closure portion is slid to a position covering said receptacle and having iingers disposed remote from said receptacle when said closure portion is in receptacle-covering position and said Ilingers depending into and being formed complemental with the extinguishing-assisting grooves, said closure portion of said cover member having an aperture extending therethrough lower than said groove-covering means and substantially at the same elevation as that of the lowermost surface of the grooves in said extinguishing-assisting means, a step in said cover member between said groovecovering means and said closure portion extending transversely of the direction of sliding of said cover member, the upper side of said closure portion of said cover member having cigarette-holding grooves in alignmentwith the cigarette-holding grooves in the extinguishing.- assisting portion of said base, said cover member having openings through said cover member stepV whereby a cigarette in one of the cigarette-holding grooves of saidy closure portion may be slid therefrom through one of said openings into an extinguishing-assisting means groove when said closure portionis in its receptacle-covering position and by sliding said closure portion away from said extinguishing-assisting means one of said fingers will' slide an extinguished cigarette butt from an extinguishing'- assisting means groove intosaid receptacle.

5. A cigarette ashtray comprising a base including a receptacle at one side portion thereof and means for assisting in extinguishing cigarette butts at the opposite side portion thereof, an upright wall in said base extending between said receptacle and said extinguishing-assisting means and forming a step, and said base having elongated parallel grooves therein, a cover member having a closure portion for covering said receptacleA and having edge portions slidably engageable in such grooves, said extinguishing-assisting means including substantially parallel ribs having their lengths extending transversely of said upright wall for forming cigarette-holding grooves therebetween each of a width to receive a cigarette, said cover member having-means adapted to cover each of said grooves when said closure portion is slid to a position covering said receptacle andV having tingers disposed remote from said receptacle when said closure portion is inreceptacle-covering position and said lingers depending into and being formed complemental with the extinguishing-assisting grooves, a step in said cover member between said groove-covering means andsaid closure portion extending transversely of the direction of sliding of said cover member, the upper side of said closure portion of said cover member having. cigarette-holding ,i

grooves in alignment with the cigarette-holding grooves in the extinguishing-assisting portion of said base, said cover member having openings through said cover member step whereby a cigarette in one of the cigarette-holding grooves of said closure portion may be slid therefrom through one of said openings into an extinguishingassisting means groove when said closure portion is in its receptacle-covering position and by sliding said closure portion away from said extinguishing-assisting means one of said fingers will slide an extinguished cigarette butt from an extinguishing-assisting means groove into said receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 89,771 5/1933 Landy.

918,928 4/ 1909 Thomas 131-242 X 2,327,518 v 8/1943 Glidden 131-235 2,527,461 10/ 1950 Snadden 13 1-235 2,621,661 12/1952 Gaskin 131-235 2,737,956 3/1958 Casper 131-235 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner. 

1. A CIGARETTE ASHTRAY COMPRISING A BASE HAVING A STEPPED TOP INCLUDING, AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE STEP, AN UPPER PORTION CONSTITUTING THE BOTTOM PORTION OF A SNUFFER AND A LOWER PORTION CONSTITUTING AN ASH RECEPTACLE, AND A COVER FITTABLE ON SAID BASE AND INCLUDING A PORTION OVERLYING SAID UPPER BASE PORTION AND CONSTITUTING THE TOP PORTION OF THE SNUFFER AND HAVING RAKER MEANS MOVABLE OVER THE SNUFFER BOTTOM PORTION FOR RAKING CIGARETTE BUTTS THEREFROM INTO THE ASH RECEPTACLE BY MANIPULATION OF SAID COVER AND A CLOSURE PORTION ADAPTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO COVER THE ASH RECEPTACLE LOWER PORTION OF SAID BASE, SAID COVER HAVING AN ACCESS OPENING THERETHROUGH FOR PASSAGE OF CIGARETTE BUTTS THERETHROUGH TO THE SNUFFER. 